Objectives: The Pleistocene taxon Paranthropus robustus was established in 1938 following the discovery at Kromdraai B, South Africa, of the partial cranium TM 1517a and associated mandible TM 1517b. Shortly thereafter, a distal humerus (TM 1517g), a proximal ulna (TM 1517e), and a distal hallucial phalanx (TM 1517k) were collected nearby at the site, and were considered to be associated with the holotype. TM 1517a-b represents an immature individual; however, no analysis of the potentially associated postcranial elements has investigated the presence of any endostructural remnant of recent epiphyseal closure. This study aims at tentatively detecting such traces in the three postcranial specimens from Kromdraai B. Materials and Methods: By using μXCT techniques, we assessed the developmental stage of the TM 1517b's C-M3 roots and investigated the inner structure of TM 1517g, TM 1517e, and TM 1517k.Results: The M2 shows incompletely closed root apices and the M3 a half-completed root formation stage. The distal humerus was likely completely fused, while the
The Kromdraai fossiliferous site (26°00′41"S, 27°44′60″E) is one of the palaeokarsts truncated by surficial erosion, situated along the southern flank of the Blaauwbank River (Gauteng Province, South Africa). The Plio-Pleistocene site has borne many early hominin fossils and is listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites often referred to as the "Cradle of Humankind" (e.g.,
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